Method of making shoes



J. PROSPER 2,079,716

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES fiiled July 12, 1934 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. W W

A TTORNEYI.

Fig.2

May 11, 1937. PR SPEF; 2,079,716

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES 7 Filed July 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

'ATTORNEYI.

Patented May 11, 193.7

ilNiTED STATES METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Joseph Prosper,

South Norwalk, Conn, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Pater- 5.0 N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 12, 1934, Serial no. 734,748 12 Claims. (01. 12-145) This invention relates to the art of the manufacture of shoes, and more especially, to shoe manufacturing methods.

In the art of the manufacture of shoes, it is common to form the shoe by utilizing an upper leather portion which is cut from a pattern and then placed on a Wooden last in a position for the joining thereof with the inner sole. A box toe is inserted, and then the inner sole is placed in position, and the pulling over takes place. Pulling over consists in actually pulling the leather over the inner sole at the toe portion of the shoe, whereupon tacks are used to fix the toe portion to the last. This joining of the toe portion and 15 the inner sole relatively to the last is merely temporary for the purpose of securing the upper leather in definite predetermined relation to the last while other operations take place.

The shoe as so. formed is then taken to a side laster in which there is a further pulling over of the leather, which may previously have been coated with cement (depending on the next desired step), Lasting relative to the inner sole along the side of the shoe may be done by tacks,

staples or by cementing, whichever is desired. The last is then taken to a laster which is adapted to wipe the shoe upper over the inner sole at the heel portion thereof, and to tack the upper to the inner sole in preparation for the later placing of the heel. The bed l-aster then functions to wipe over and last the toe portion of the shoe, which, as will be recalled, was placed in position relatively to the inner sole by the pulling over of the upper in the first operation. described. It is thus seen, that by this process, each step involves the diflicult pulling over of the upper relatively to the inner sole, and requires the preliminary operation of a pulling over machine at the toe portion of the shoe, which operation is not permanent and requires a later further wiping action in the bed laster.

In the process which I have invented, I utilize a pair of mating dies for forming the toe portion of the shoe. These mating dies hold the shoe upperin position, so that the inner sole can be placed. relatively thereto in a predetermined calibrated position. Both the shoe upper and the inner sole are accurately formed, so that the upper, which has been coated with cement, will,

upon actionv of a wiper, be permanently and securely fastened to the inner sole in asingle swift operation. Preferably, the wiper may be arranged to wipe along the inner sole up to the hall thereof, so as to secure the upper leather to the sole for a very substantial distance.

It is thus seen that up to this point, my process varies from. the prior art in. that I immediately secure my upper to the inner sole in a fixed calibrated position utilizing the mating dies and wiper for performing this operation. Now, because my upper is firmly secured to the inner sole without the presence of a last, it is unnecessary for me to use a side laster because I can readily follow along the lines on which the upper is secured to the inner sole and manually cement the complete upper, up to the heel portion, to the inner sole, I may perhaps use a pressing machine for pressing the upper to the sole, but even this is generally not required. It is then merely necessary for me to apply the shoe so far formed, to a last, and then last the heel, either on a heel seat laster, or manually, thus finishing completely the lasting operation. It is then merely necessary to put the shoe through the remaining processes required for putting on the outer sole. My invention does not extend to these further processes, since I prefer to use merely the usual methods of the prior art.

While the prior art illustrates the molding of the toe portion of a shoe in mating dies, to which toe portion the inner sole may later be attached without lasting, it does not illustrate'the complete forming and union of the toe portion with the inner sole by one operation utilizing mating dies and a Wiper. In the prior art, special molding equipment must be utilized in order to mold the toe and maintain it in molded condition until the sole is finally joined thereto. In my invention, the mating dies preferably do not mold the toe so that it will maintain its shape after removal, the wiping and joining to the inner sole being relied upon for that.

Fundamentally, therefore, the process of my invention requires the arrangement of mating or other dies and a wiper for accurately forming the toe portion of the shoe and uniting it with the inner sole, thus eliminating one or more of the operations required in the prior art. This gives rise to certain advantages, one of which is the arrangement of the accurately formed toe portion with the marginal portion of the upper secured to the inner sole, the edge of the overlaid portion of the upper acting as a determining guide, so that mere manual securing of the side portion of the shoe to the inner sole is possible, no pulling over relatively to a wooden last being required. It is further seen that because side lasting in my invention is exceedingly simple and does not require pulling over, or the use of staples, a cementing process is very eifective. Also, there is but little of the wear and tear on wooden lasts normally present in the prior art, the only nails used in my process being used in the heel seat laster wherein the nails actagainst the usual metal shod portion of the last and therefore do not mutilate the last in any way. Of course, it is. also possible to utilize my toe forming process with the toe forming die in the form of a last, but as indicated, my invention is most advantageously used without a last. a

It is therefore readily seen that I have arranged a very cheap and yet effective, swift and accurate rnethod for forming a shoe without necessarily utilizing the wooden last of the prior art, except perhaps for the formation of the heel por tion, and naturally for the finishing operations involving the placing of the outer sole. My invention makes it possible to obviate the use of the expensive machinery of the prior art without the sacrifice of speed, since the toe forming and. side lasting operations are exceedingly swift and take the place of more difficult operations previously required.

For a clear description of my invention, I shall now refer to the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of my machine showing the mating dies, the inner sole and the toe portion of the upper in position for molding. Fig.

2 is a side View of most of the parts in Fig. 1,

leaving out the wiper operating lever. Fig. 3 is a view showing the parts of Fig. 1 with the wiper in wiping relation to the upper. Fig. 4 is a side view of the parts of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 illustrates the relation of the upper of the shoe to the inner sole when the parts are removed from the machine after the operation illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 illustrates the hand side lasting of the upper relatively to the imier sole. Fig. '7 illustrates the shoe applied to a wooden last of the type Well known in the art.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and especially Figs. 1 and 2, reference number l designates the main body of the machine upon which is mounted the female die member H and a wiper mechanism l2 embodying a pair of jaws pivoted at E3 and operable into wiping relation to the shoe upper by a handle It. The wiper mechanism is of the usual type well known in this art and per se forms no part of this invention. Practically any type of prior art wiping assembly may be utilized in my invention as will be apparent from a further review of the description.

The machine body H3 also supports a foot operated pedal I connected by linkage 6 with a shaft ll operating a sleeve I8 and normally pressed in an upward direction by a rather powerful spring l9. At the upper end of the shaft ll, there is secured in adjustable relation, as by a bolt 29, the carrying member 2| which has secured thereto a shaft 22 carrying the male die member 23 which is adapted to mate with the die member H secured to the main part of the machine.

It is apparent that the two die members 23 and II are adapted to form the upper leather which may be positioned between them, into the form of the toe of a shoe, as will be quite clear to those skilled in the art.

Referring now again to Figs. 1 and 2, an upper portion 24 of the shoe is placed in position as shown, relatively to the male die member 23. It is not required to use grippers for the edges of the upper as in the prior art or a positioning member since it is quite simple to properly lomane cate the upper relatively to the dies. The foot member l5 may then be pressed and the upper leather 24 will obviously be formed at its toe portion in conformance with the shape of the dies 23 and H. Preferably, the upper leather 24 is equipped with a lining and also with a box toe forming member. Also, the upper leather is notched as shown at 25. The notches 25 take the form of indicating devices so that the upper may be properly positioned relatively to the die member 23. Naturally, the leather will be cut out and formed with the indicators 25 in proper relation to the die 23, the positioning of notches 25 being calibrated relatively to the die members 23 and H.

At this point in the operation of the device, an inner sole 26 may be placed in position relatively to the die member 23, as though the die member 23 were the actual last of the shoe and the inner sole were to be secured thereon.

The pedal [5 when depressed brings the dies 23 and it into mating relation as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this position of the parts, the wiper blades l2 are then operated by the handle I4 so as to wipe the marginal portions of the toe portion of the upper inwardly over the inner sole 25. Since the process for which my invention is particularly intended is a cement process, the: marginal portion of the inner sole which is tobe cemented to the upper will have previously been coated with cement in the usual way well known in the art. Also, and preferably, the mar-- ginal portions of the upper which are adapted.

to be cemented to the inner sole will have beencoated with cement.

Now, in the position of the parts in Fig. 3, it is desirable to bring pressure upon the inner sole 26 and the wiped over marginal portion of the.-

upper. To do this, the foot pressure on pedal I5 is relieved so that the spring l9, which has been placed under compression by the depression of pedal l5, will react, thus causing the male die member 23 to be pressed upwardly against the wiper blades I2 and apply considerable pressure to the wiped over marginal portion of the upper and to the inner sole 26 so as to securely cement them together.

Fig. 5 illustrates the parts when they are removed from the machine after completion of the processing described relatively to Figs. 3 and 4. Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the upper 24 will be firmly secured to the inner sole 26 at the toe portion and that the toe portion of the shoe will be completely formed and completely bonded to the inner sole. The gatherings or wrinkles 2'! of the wiped margin of the upper, may, to a considerable extent, be avoided by slitting or specially preparing the toe portion of the upper. In commercial practice, the wrinkles are readily eliminated by the roughing machine which is usually used before the applica tion of the outer sole.

With the parts now in the assembled relation of Fig. 5, the side lasting may be done in several different ways. However, because of the particular joining of the upper to the sole already eii'ected, it is quite easy to continue the lasting manually along the lines of the joining of the sole to the upper at the toe, as shown in Fig. 6, and thus firmly cement the upper to the sole. While the joining of the two is illustrated as performed manually it may be done on a stamping machine which will actually stamp or press the upper against the sole so that the cement which has previously been applied thereiii to, will act to firmly bond the sole and upper together. Also, it is possible to apply the parts to a last, if desired, so that side lasting may be done in the usual way well known to the art.

When the parts have been prepared as shown in Fig. 6 by my method, they are then applied to a wooden last 29 as illustrated in Fig. '7. The heel portion 28 may then be lasted to the inner sole 26 as will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art. Thereafter, the outer sole may be applied in the usual way, this, however, forming no part of the present invention.

'It will be quite clear from the foregoing, that the invention here is rather basic in character and departs considerably from the prior art. While I have described the details of the method of carrying out my invention and a particular assembly of mechanisms for assisting in the carrying out of the method, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other modes and means embodying the principles set forth in the specification submitted will readily occur to those skilled in the art. I therefore consider myself entitled to rather broad protection along the lines set forth in the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I .claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises treating with cement the marginal portions of the toe of a shoe upper and of an inner sole, placing the prepared upper over a toe form, utilizing a mating form to shape the upper to the toe form, placing the toe portion of an inner sole on the toe form, and working the unformed marginal portion of the upper over upon the inner sole to cause the upper and inner sole to be united by the cement.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises applying cement to the marginal portions of the unformed toe portion of an upper and to the marginal portion of an inner sole, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper between a toe form and a cooperating die, relatively moving the form and die to cause the upper to assume the contour of the toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, wiping the unformed marginal portion of the upper over upon the bottom of the inner sole, and maintaining pressure on the wiped-over portion of the upper and the inner sole until the upper and inner sole are united.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined portions of the unformed upper blank and/or the inner sole which are intended to be united to form the shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with a toe form relativelyto the body of which the toe is to be wiped in order that it may be shaped to assume the body contour of said toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, then wiping the toe portion of the blank relatively to the body of the toe form and the marginal portion of the toe blank inwardly over the form and the inner sole, and then maintaining pressure between the sole and the wiped margin sufliciently long to permit permanent union of the toe and sole, then cementing the side portions of the upper to the inner sole off a last using as a base line the line of the joining of the toe portion to the inner sole.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined portions of the unformed upper blank and/or the inner sole which are intended to be united to form the shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with a toe form relatively to the body of which the toe is to be wiped in order that it may be shaped to assume the body contour of said toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, then wiping the toe portion of the upper blank relatively to the body of the toe form and the marginal portion of the upper blank over the toe form and the inner sole While the toe portion is maintained in shaping relation to said toe form, and then maintaining pressure between the inner sole and the wiped toe portion sufiiciently long to permit permanent union of the toe and sole, and then manually pressing the side portions of the upper against the inner sole following along the lines of the joining of'the toe portion to the inner sole.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined portions of the upper blank and/or the inner sole which are intended to be united to form the shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with a toe form relatively to which the toe is to be wiped in order that it may assume the contour of said toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, then wiping the toe over the form and the inner sole and maintaining pressure between the inner sole and the wiped toe portion sufiiciently long to permit permanent union of the toe and sole, then removing the formed toe portion from the toe form, and then pressing the side portions of the upper against the inner sole following along the line of the joining of the toe portion to the inner sole.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined portions of the upper blank and/or the inner sole which are intended to be united to form the shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with a toe form relatively to which the toe is to be wiped in order that it may assume the contour of said toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, then wiping the toe over the mold and the inner sole and maintaining pressure between the sole and wiped toe portion sufficiently long to permit permanent union of the toe and sole,

then cementing the side portions of the upper to the inner sole using as a base line the line of the joining of the toe portion to the inner sole, and then applying the upper to a last relatively to which the heel is lasted.

7. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined portions of the upper blank and/or the inner sole which are intended to be united to form the shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with a toe form relatively to which the toe is to be wiped in order that it may assume the contour of said toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, then wiping the toe over the form and the inner sole and maintaining pressure between the sole and wiped portion suniciently long to permit permanent union of the toe and sole, then manually pressing the side portions of the upper against the inner sole following along the line of the joining of the toe portion to the inner sole, and then applying the upper to a last relatively to which the heel is lasted.

8. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined portions of the upper blank and/or the inner sole which are intended to be united to form the shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with a toe form relatively to which the toe is to be wiped in order that it may assume the contour of said toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, then wiping the toe over the form and the inner sole and maintaining pressure between the two sufficiently long to permit permanent union of the toe and sole, then removing the formed toe portion from the toe form, then pressing the side portions of the upper against the inner sole following along the line of the joining of the toe portion to the inner sole, and then applying the upper to a last relatively to which the heel is lasted.

9. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises forming the toe portion only of a cemented upper between mating dies, laying the marginal portion of the upper over upon a cemented inner sole supported by the male die to be held thereto by the cement, removing the upper from the dies, and continuing 01f a last the lasting of the sides of theupper to the inner sole along the line determined by the edge of the upper alreadly lasted at the toe.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises applying cement to the marginal portions of the unformed toe portion of an upper and/or to the marginal portion of an inner sole, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper between a toe form and a cooperating die, relatively moving the form and die to cause the upper to assume the contour of the toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, utilizing wipers to wipe the unformed marginal portion of the upper over upon the bottom of the inner sole, applying pressure to the wiped over portion of the upper and maintaining the pressure until the upper and inner sole are united by the cement.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprises applying cement to the marginal portions of an unformed upper blank and/or of an inner sole which are to be united to form a shoe, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank over a toe form, shaping the toe portion of the upper blank to conform to the contour of the toe form, placing the toe portion of the inner sole on the toe form, wiping the marginal portion of the toe of the upper inwardly over the inner sole on the form, maintaining pressure between the sole and the wiped over marginal portions until the cement has set, removing the formed upper from the toe form, inserting a last in the upper, and lasting the side portions of the upper over the inner sole.

12. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in applying cement to predetermined marginal portions of an unformed upper blank and/or of an inner sole, placing the unformed toe portion of the upper blank in contact with the toe form, shaping the toe portion of the upper blank to conform to the contour of the toe form, placing the toe portion of an inner sole on the toe form, wiping the marginal portion of the upper at the toe inwardly over the inner sole on the form while the upper is in conformed relation to the toe form, maintaining pressure between the sole and the wiped over marginal portions of the upper until the cement has set, removing the formed upper from the toe form, inserting a last in the upper, lasting the side portions of the upper over the inner sole, and finally lasting the heel portion.

JOSEPH PROSPER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIQN.

Patent No. 2,079,716. May 11, 1937.

JOSEPH PROSPER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, first column, line 56, before the article "a" insert in; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of August, A. D. 1937.

(Seal) Acting Commis 

